


Looked at Me like the Stars that Shined

by LittleVulcan66



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Arranged Marriage, Bottom Jim, Childhood Sweethearts, Insecure Jim Kirk, M/M, Mpreg, Pining Kirk, Possessive Spock, Prince Spock, Protective Spock, T'hy'la, Top Spock, Unrequited Love, Young Jim, Young Spock
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-20
Updated: 2016-04-09
Packaged: 2018-05-22 07:18:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6070192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleVulcan66/pseuds/LittleVulcan66
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Friendship between Vulcan and Earth must be cemented by marriage. My youngest son, James, will marry the next Emperor of Vulcan when he turns the age of 18 to secure an alliance between our two planets."</p><p>Jim and Spock are arranged to be married since they were very young, meeting every few years during their childhood. When they are soon to be married, Jim soon realizes that his feelings for Spock might have grown from his little crush when they were kids... But he's not sure Spock feels the same for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> This work is loosely based off the movie Marie Antionette.

Star date: 2235 

Drumming her fingernails against the armrest of her throne, Winona waited patiently for the Vulcan delegates to arrive. Her mind was racing with so many thoughts, completely consumed by the report her advisors had presented to her about Earth’s current situation. A situation that many other systems were also facing.

Her gaze fell on the empty throne beside her, where her husband had once sat. She missed him so much; intensity building in her chest as her heart ached for the love of her life. George had been an amazing leader. He gave his people hope and inspired them to endure through the hardships Earth faced against it’s much stronger enemies. She sometimes wondered what he would do if he was still here. It had been almost three years since his death.

George had been traveling on a diplomatic mission to meet with the Romulan ambassador to negotiate a ceasefire over one of Earth’s invaded colonies, in hopes of creating some peace between them. Sadly, the Klingons, where their problems lied, blew the Kelvin, the ship he had been aboard, to pieces before he could make it. It had been a devastating blow to the people and allies of Earth.

Tension with the Klingon Empire and was increasing rapidly and could erupt into full out war at any point. If this happened, Earth’s weak technology would allow them to be crushed by their enemies faster than a shoe coming down on a bug. Winona wouldn’t let that happen. She hoped that meeting with the delegates from Vulcan would produce ideas and a plan that would help both Empires achieve their common goal.

“Mama!” a little voice squealed breaking the Queen from her thoughts. A grin spread across Winona’s face when she spotted her two and a half year old son waddling towards her from across the room. Sam, her oldest, followed closely behind the toddler, wearing a grumpy expression. It made Winona’s smile falter a little. Sam had never been the same after George’s passing and she knew how hard it had been for him to lose his father. It had been hard for all of them.

The toddler reached her in no time, climbing carefully up the three large steps of the platform her throne sat on. In his hand was a toy figure of his father’s old ship, the Kelvin. “Mama!” He repeated, grabbing onto her leg once he had made it up the steps, holding on to her tightly. He gave her a big smile, and she let out a laugh. He was such a little charmer. Like father, like son, she thought.

“I’m sorry mother, but Jimmy really wanted to visit you,” Sam explained, giving his brother an annoyed glance; Jim didn’t really seem to notice though as he held out his starship to his mother, staring at her with those beautiful blue eyes. Winona’s lips curved up into a big smile.

“That’s alright Samuel, I love seeing you both,” she replied, taking the toy from her youngest and holding it up. “What’s this Jimmy?” she asked.

“Ship!” the two year old declared proudly, putting his thumb in his mouth. She laughed and nodded. She stared at the figurine before asking:

“What’s the ship’s name, baby?”

“Kevin!” Jim said, giving her the widest and most darling smile.

“It’s Kelvin, Jimmy. Not Kevin,” Sam scoffed, which earned him a dangerous look from Winona that all but said ‘Stop being a ass to your brother, I raised you better’ and he mumbled out an apology, glancing down at his feet. Winona picked James up and placed him on her lap, handing him back his toy before gesturing for Samuel to come over to, and placing a kiss on his cheek when he did.

“Your Majesty?” Called a servant, peeping his head into the room, startling her a bit. “Sorry to bother you, Madame, but the Emperor of Vulcan and his party have arrived and wish to meet with you as soon as possible,” he explained. “When would you like to meet with them?”

“Now, please,” she said hurriedly. “I’m available to meet with them now.”

The servant nodded, and once the door was shut Winona removed Jimmy from her lap and instructed the boys to take a seat on the steps of the dais that lead up to her throne.

“Please sit here and behave, boys.” She told them, and then the large golden decorated doors were thrown open. Earth’s ambassador, Christopher Pike was the first to enter followed closely by a tall Vulcan who held confidence in his step. Behind them was an older Vulcan woman and a tiny Vulcan boy.  
When Sarek stopped in front of her, Winona stood and raised her hand in the Ta’al and smiled, and he returned the same gesture face remaining expressionless. “Peace and long life, Queen Winona.” Nodding, Winona then turned and bowed her head to the elderly woman who stood beside Sarek.  
“Lady T’Pau, good to see you,” she acknowledged. T’Pau nodded to her slowly. Winona then glanced back to Sarek. “It must have been a long journey for you all. You said you had something you wished to discuss in person?”

“Yes, but first let me introduce to you my son,” Sarek replied, placing a hand on the little Vulcan’s shoulder, moving him forward into view. “This is S’chn T’gai Spock, the Crown Prince of Vulcan.” Winona could hear a sense of pride in Sarek’s words and smiled down at the little Crown Prince. He bowed to her, and even though his face remained blank, his eyes shown with anxiousness as he peered up at her.

“Your Majesty,” he said politely.

“Your Highness,” she smiled back, and he shifted shyly under her gaze, the tips of his pointed ears turning a light green. ‘He’s darling’ Winona thought to herself. She looked down to where both her sons remained seated; Jim held both feet and was rocking back and fourth, while Samuel gave him a disapproving look. She held back a sigh. She knew Sam did love Jim, despite how he behaved towards him. Suddenly Jim stumbled to his feet.

“Mama!” Jim squealed happily, grabbing everyone’s attention. All three Vulcans raised their slanted eyebrows at her son.

“If I may, I would like you to meet my sons,” Winona laughed as Jim held his arms up to her, signaling he wanted to be held, before she continued. “My eldest, Crown Prince George Samuel and my youngest, Prince James Tiberius.”

James whimpered, continuing to hold his arms up to get his mother’s attention, but her eyes were caught by the look of awe mixed with wonder in Spock’s eyes as he watched James.

“What is he doing?” Spock asked looking completely fascinated by every movement the youngest prince made.

Winona chuckled softly. “He just wants to be held.”

“A most illogical action,” Sarek commented stiffly. Spock remained silent, watching Jim get frustrated and whimper for his mother’s attention before looking up at Winona.

“May I hold, James, Majesty?” The tiny Vulcan asked.

“Spock!” Sarek reprimanded.

Spock didn’t seem to care that his father had just scolded him, his eyes looking at her, awaiting an answer. Winona was somewhat shocked. She certainly hadn’t been expecting that request. From her experience, she had always thought that Vulcans avoided any type of physical contact because of their touch telepathy.

“Oh, Honey,” she said awkwardly glancing at Sarek. “You don’t have to do that.”

“But he is upset,” Argued Spock. “Is it not logical to fulfill his physical need as a human to be held?” Winona wasn’t quite sure if she was hearing things, but something in Spock’s voice rang with the sound of pleading almost, his eyes projecting some kind of desperation, she couldn’t understand.

“Well…” She hesitated.

“Spock.” Sarek spoke sharply. “That is not appropriate.” Spock looked up at his father, a look of defiance in his eyes. Winona looked between the father and son as they held an intense stare off. She honestly couldn’t tell which of them was winning.

After a moment of silence, the sound of someone clearing their throat made everyone direct their gazes to T’Pau. She held her usual blank stare, but her lips were scrunched up in a way that made her almost look displeased. Almost.

“How about I call a servant to bring some toys for the boys to play with while we talk?” Winona suggested quickly, trying to ease the tension. Sarek nodded, looking back to Spock.

“Yes, that would be beneficial.” He answered.

………

“As you are aware, war with the Klingon Empire is inevitable, Your Majesty. They have already attacked and looted several of our ships, killing the men and women on board and invaded several colonies already.” Sarek explained, increasing Winona’s distress as she listened. “The only way Earth and Vulcan could hold a defense is by becoming allies when war does finally break out.”

Queen Winona knew how right Sarek was. War was inevitable. Death and destruction was inevitable. But the Vulcan Empire, although peaceful, did have the technology to defend themselves against the Klingons, so what she didn’t understand was why he was offering protection. There didn’t seem to be anything that she could offer in return besides troops, and their weaker technology.

“Why would you want to be allies with us?” She asked bluntly. “All I can offer you is troops, Sarek. There is not much else I can do.”

“I am aware.”

“Then why?”

He stood there for a moment, seeming to be contemplating on how to answer her, before he finally spoke. “Amanda,” he said softly. “She would be devastated if something were to happen to her home planet.” Winona nodded in understanding.

Suddenly T’Pau, who had remained quiet during most of their conversation watching the boys play, moved quickly towards Spock and Jim, surprising both rulers. She paused and then called to Spock in a thick accent. With some reluctance, the five year old approached her.

“May I have permission to enter thee’s mind, Spock? I have sensed something… Quite strange and would like to see for myself.” She asked him. He stepped back for a moment, looking a little hesitant, before he nodded and allowed T’Pau to place three fingers on his face. Winona glanced at Sarek in confusion, but he didn’t let the stoic expression slip from his features.

After a few seconds of silence, T’Pau pulled away from the smaller Vulcan and nodded approvingly. “Thank you, Spock. You may return to James now.” Spock nodded and returned to his spot beside Jim, while T’Pau moved back to Sarek and Winona, her eyes reflecting some sort of understanding. She stood in silence eyeing both parents carefully before locking her gaze with Sarek.

“They are T’hy’la.”

T’Pau’s voice indicated that this word held some sort of importance. Sarek’s entire expression changed; his usual blank gaze wiped away as his eyes widened at his mother’s words.

“Are you certain?” The Emperor whispered. T’Pau gave him a sharp look that Winona could only interpret to mean that he had offended her.  
“You doubt me, Sarek Cha’Skon?”

“My apologies, T’Pau. I did not mean to doubt you,” he apologized. “I just… None have seen a T’hy’la bond for hundreds of years, and so I was as they say, ‘taken off guard.’” T’Pau seemed to accept Sarek’s answer, nodding in agreement; eyes pensive.

Winona felt somewhat left out of the conversation and cleared her throat to regain their attention again. “What is a T’hy’la bond?” she asked, brow furrowing. Sarek turned his gaze to her, looking like he was trying to form a reply to her simple question.

“Winona,” he began, surprising her by his lack in his usual formality. “Our sons minds have connected in a unique way. In a bond that is so rare and precious to our people,” the Emperor explained. “T’hy’la. They are soul mates. Minds so compatible that they could only have been made for each other. However illogical it may sound, Spock and Jim complete one another in mind, body, and soul.” Sarek finished.

Not responding, Winona folded her hands in front of her, looking past Sarek to watch her two sons playing with the Vulcan Prince. She watched Spock and saw how he paid an extra amount of attentiveness to Jim as he watched the two-year-old play with his toys. Sarek followed her gaze to the children before clearing his throat to gain her attention back to the discussion at hand.

“That being said… Perhaps this could work out in our favor.” He said hesitantly.

Winona kept her eyes on Spock and Jim as she responded. “And how is that?”

“A marriage alliance between our sons would satisfy my people’s trust in the Terran Empire. Many still harbor prejudices over humans and so an alliance is not likely unless it could be cemented in a legal matter.” Sarek explained again. “Such as marriage.” But Winona’s head was pounding. All of this new information was a lot to take in.

“Do you not need another heir after Spock?” She barely choked out. “They’re both boys.”

“Yes, an heir is important. Luckily the VSA has been working on developing a way for males to carry an artificial uterus through a safe surgical procedure,” Sarek answered. “Several tests have already been done and eighty percent were successful attempts, and no harm came to any of the subjects.” Winona nodded absent mindedly as she watched the children.

“But even if the technology was not available… I would not deny my son his T’hy’la.” Sarek said softly.

Winona looked at the two vulcans for a moment, then to the children, and back. I didn’t know Vulcan’s were such romantics, she thought. Sarek appeared to be analyzing her, trying to figure out how she was taking the news while T’Pau held her usual blank expression. The explanation wasn’t what she had expected. Glancing back to the boys, Winona watched Spock play with Jim, the soft look of adoration still in his eyes, and Jim’s smile was wider than she had ever seen it when we looked up at Spock. Ah, Hell, she thought, who am I to deny my baby his soul mate? She let out a laugh and Sarek looked somewhat concerned. Most likely for her sanity.

“Then I guess this alliance will work out better than we originally thought, Sarek,” she answered through her giggles. Sarek’s expression shifted from concern to blank, but his eyes held warmth to them as he responded.

“Indeed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave kudos and comments! :)


	2. Fairy Tales are for Kids

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place eight years after Jim and Spock first meet. Jim is now ten and Spock is thirteen.

_Stardate: 2243_

 

The bedroom was eerily quiet as sunlight peaked through the drapes of the arched windows, keeping most of the room still in darkness. Although the light barely reached the first bed, the soft chirps from outside were enough to awaken the youngest occupant of the room.

Jim sat up slowly; rubbing his eyes and stretching before glancing around the dark room, letting his eyes adjust. With a bright grin, he pushed back his covers, and scrambled out of bed, feeling the wood beneath his feet creak as he scurried over to the door of his bedroom. Jim opened it slowly and quickly glanced out into the hall. It was filled with servants quietly making their way through the halls, cleaning and straightening everything in preparation for the day.

Holding in his excitement, Jim shut the door and ran across the room, jumping onto his older brother’s bed and crawling on top of him.

“Sam!” He whispered, shaking the older Kirk boy. “Sam, it’s today! I’m gonna meet him!” Jim said bouncing up and down, only to be unceremoniously tossed off the bed with a startled yelp and landing painfully on his behind.

“Go away, Jim,” Sam grumbled sleepily, pulling the covers over his head. “Wanna sleep.”

“Saaaaaaaaam! It’s morning!” Jim whined, climbing back on top of his brother and bouncing up and down again. “Come on! Spock is gonna be here today! I finally get to meet him!”

“Whop-de-doo.”

“Why aren’t you excited?!”

“It’s too freaking early, that’s why! Go back to bed.” Jim pouted.

Well, he wasn’t going to let his brother’s crabbiness ruin his day. Today he was finally meeting Spock, something he had been waiting for years to happen. Nothing could ruin it for him.

Jim quickly scrambled off Sam, who grunted in response, and went to grab the clothes the maid had laid out for him the night before. After tugging them on, he glanced back at Sam’s sleeping form before bolting out the door and into the busy hallway.

…

Jim remembered the first time his mother had ever told him about Spock, and how they had first met, becoming close almost immediately. When he was seven years old, his mother had explained the bond he and Spock shared with one another, as well as its significance. It sounded like one of the fairytale books his mother use to read to him every night.

After this, Jim asked if he could message Spock so they could get to know one another, and is mom had happily agreed and spoke with Spock’s dad to find a way for the boys to communicate. Once everything had been set up, Jim and Spock messaged each other several times a week over the next three years. Then one day Jim had asked if Spock could come and visit him at some point six months ago. Spock had responded to his message after only a few minutes.

_Jim,_

_I believe a visit would be beneficial in our attempts to learn more about one another and become better acquainted. I will speak with my father about this and see if it would be possible to do so._

_Sincerely yours,_   
_S’chn T’gai Spock_

Jim had practically jumped with joy at the idea of Spock coming to visit him, to finally meet him in person. After a bit of communication between their parents, Spock and his family were set to come visit them at the beginning of the summer and then stay for an entire month.

Jim was giddy with excitement as he hurried down the hallway, lost in his thoughts. So lost that he didn’t notice the person that had come around the corner until he had crashed into them.

“Oops! Sorry, didn’t mean to bump into… Chris!” He cried happily, throwing himself at the older man. Chris laughed in response and gave him a big hug in return. Christopher Pike was Earth’s Ambassador and had been an old friend of his father.

Ever since Jim was a little boy, he had always looked to Chris as a sort of father figure. He had always been there to encourage and help whenever Jim needed him, and when Jim was little, on nights that his mother was too busy to come put him and Sam to bed, Chris took over for her, reading them a story and everything until they were both fast asleep.

“Hey Kiddo!” Chris laughed before pulling away from the hug and ruffling Jim’s already messy blonde hair. “Doesn’t look like you even took time to comb out your hair this morning! Why in such a rush?” Chris asked with a knowing smile, giving Jim a quick wink.

Blushing, Jim combed his fingers through his hair trying to make it look at least a little neater and stuck his tongue out at Chris who just grinned in response. The older man was quite aware of how excited he was about today. Jim hadn’t stopped talking about it all week. That is up until Sam snapped at him about it at dinner one night.

“You already know why…” Jim mumbled.

“I know, Jimmy. I’m just giving you a hard time,” Chris responded. “I’m heading to meet with your mother right now. Make sure you are at breakfast. On time. That woman’s already frantic today and she’s going to need you to help out.”

“Of course!” Jim assured him.

With a quick nod, Chris turned and continued down the hallway until he went around a corner and was out of sight. Jim grinned, before debating whether to go to the library or pay a visit to a certain grumpy friend of his.

_Bones better be up already. Otherwise he’s in for a very rude awakening!_ The blonde thought mischievously.

…

Leonard McCoy was an intern training to work as a doctor at the palace, and Jim had quickly made himself acquainted with the southern man after he had helped heal Jim’s broken hand after a game of tag gone wrong (hence how Jim gave him his nickname). He honestly found Bones’ constant state of grumpiness amusing.

After four minutes of banging insistently on the door, the bedroom door was thrown open, revealing a grumpy, disheveled looking brunet.

“Jesus Christ, Jim!” Bones grumbled, glancing down at the blonde prince. “What do you want?”

“I’m bored!” Jim wailed, attempting to push passed Bones in order to enter the room. “Entertain me!”

The older was not having it though, placing his palm on the blonde’s forehead and pushing him back a little, before crossing his arms over his chest and giving the young prince a stern look.

“Jim, I was sleeping.”

“And now you’re not!”

“No, thanks to you, ya little brat!”

“But Bones, I’m booooored.”

Bones snorted and shook his head. “I thought you were spending the day with Prince hobgoblin?”

“He isn’t going to be here until this afternoon!” Jim whined. “I still have time before breakfast and Sam won’t wake up, so can I just… hang out with you?” He attempted to put on his best puppy dog eyes as he looked up at his friend. Bones tried to hold his stern stare, but soon he let out a defeated sigh and stepped aside to let Jim in.

“Thanks Bones! You’re the best!” Jim beamed, scurrying inside.

“Yeah, yeah…” Bones grumbled.

…

_Shoot, I promised Chris I wouldn’t be late!_ Jim thought as he rushed down the hall that led to the dining room. The place he was supposed to be at roughly seven minutes ago. He had hung out with Bones most of the morning until the older had to head for more training. With nothing else to do, Jim made his way to the library to read a bit before breakfast. He got a little caught up in his reading though and had completely forgotten about the time.

Making it to the end of the hall, Jim tried to enter the dinning room as quietly as he could in hopes that he could at least make it to his seat before his mother drilled into him for being late. Sadly, his plan didn’t really work.

“ _James Tiberius Kirk_ ,” came his mother’s icy tone. He froze in his spot and glanced to the farther end of the table where his mother sat, her eyes stormy. Chris sat at the other end of the table, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose and Sam was between them, focusing intently on his food.

“Sorry,” he grinned sheepishly. “I got caught up in a book I was reading.”

Letting out a sigh, his mother seemed to be somewhat pacified by his explanation and motioned for him to take his seat. Not wanting to risk incurring her wrath again, he quickly sat down and started eating his breakfast.

The remainder of the meal consisted of his mother and Chris talking some of their usual business and Jim and Sam sitting quietly, focused on eating. Once the servants had cleared their plates, his mother asked to stay behind when Chris and Sam got up to go.

“Come here, honey,” she said with a soft smile. After he had approached her, she took his hands and looked him in the eyes. “I know you’re excited that Spock is coming-”

“Mom,” he groaned. “We’ve already had this talk two times already.”

“I know,” she responded rolling her eyes. “But you seem to be quite forgetful.”

“Oh, come on!”

“James.”

“Ugh, fine…” He reluctantly agreed.

“As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted.” Jim rolled his eyes. “I know that you’re excited to see Spock, but you have to remember that he is not human. It’s important to respect his boundaries. You can be a very touchy feely person sometimes.”

“Probably because I wasn’t hugged enough as a child,” he responded monotonously, earning him a light smack in the head.

“I’m so sorry I was so negligent, Jim,” she quipped sarcastically. “Here, let me make it up to you!” Jim’s eyes widened as he was entrapped in his mother’s arms and squeezed tightly. “I’ll even throw in some kisses!” Then his face was being attacked with kisses.

“Okay, okay! I get it; you love me! MOM STOP!” He whined, squirming in her grip in an attempt to escape. With a laugh his mother let him go.

“Your Majesty,” Chris said, entering the room again. “They’ve arrived. I’m going out to meet them now.”

Jim’s heart began beating incredibly fast. Chris and his mother exchanged a few more words, but he couldn’t hear their conversation over the roaring in his ears.

_Spock’s here._

“Jim?”

“Huh?” Jim looked to his mom. She was looking at him with a grin spread across her face, eyebrow raised in amusement.

“I said, let’s head to the audience chamber to meet our guests.”

“Oh, yeah. Uh… let’s go.” She laughed and shook her head before walking out the door, Jim following close behind.

…

“Jim, calm down,” Sam murmured from beside him. “Your fidgeting is annoying the crap out of me.” Jim shot his brother a nasty glare and continued fiddling with his fingers. He didn’t understand why he was so nervous all of a sudden. This was just Spock after all. The guy he had written every week and was suppose to have this epic bond with.

After his mother and he had arrived in the audience chamber, she took a seat in her throne, and Sam stood to her right, Jim taking his place beside Sam. Over the time they waited, Jim seemed to get more and more anxious.

“Jim, it’s really going to be just fine. I promise you.” Sam whispered. “Calm down, and stop fidgeting.”

Sighing, Jim did his best to hold his arms at his sides while the time went by. The minute the doors opened, Jim stood ramrod straight and bit his lip as he watched them enter. The first to enter was Chris and tall, scary looking, Vulcan man that he assumed to be Emperor Sarek. Following behind was a human woman and a Vulcan boy. Jim couldn’t take his eyes off of him, even if he wished he could. The Vulcan boy was beautiful.

Once they were front and center his mother began greeting them, exchanging some pleasantries with the Vulcan Emperor, while Jim stared at Spock. He looked to be a few inches taller than Jim was, and had the most beautiful brown eyes he had ever seen. He wasn’t prepared though for them to turn and focus directly at him. He caught his breath and he felt his heart beat quicken.

“Jim,” his mother addressed him and gestured to Spock’s family. “Say hello.”

“H-Hello,” he stuttered, feeling his cheeks redden as he realized they were all looking at him. In response, both Spock and his father both raised an eyebrow in sync, while Spock’s mom, Amanda, gave him a warm smile. Then she glanced at Spock for a moment before giving him a nudge to emphasize he should respond. He quickly threw her a look of annoyance before stepping forward and bowing his head to Jim’s mother and then to Jim himself.

“Hello, Jim,” he responded without any inflection in his tone. Jim had to admit that he was expecting Spock to look a little happier to see him, but he should have been prepared for this, seeing how Vulcans don’t do emotion. After a few moments of silence, his mother cleared her throat.

“Jim, how about give Spock a tour of the palace,” she suggested. “Since he’ll be living here the next month it would be good for him to know his way around.”

“Uh… Yeah,” Jim said after a moment, stepping down from the dais and bowing his head respectfully to his mother and the Emperor before walking up to Spock. “Just follow me,” he said and began to head for the door, Spock following closely.

The awkwardness didn’t go away once they entered the hallway though. Jim led the way, and Spock kept up with him pretty easily. The older hadn’t said a word to him since his first greeting, and Jim wasn’t sure if his silence meant that he didn’t want to speak at all.

“You appear to be less exuberant than I initially thought through our past communications,” Spock finally spoke up, making Jim almost jump from surprise. “Was my assessment incorrect?”

“Uh… No?” He sputtered out. Geez, what was going on with him today? He’s never been this flustered before in his entire life. Spock merely raised an eyebrow before looking forward again.

For the rest of their tour, Jim made sure to show Spock his absolute favorite places on their tour. This included the gardens, the ballroom, and the library, which happened to be their very last stop.

“This is probably my favorite place,” he explained as Spock looked about the room. “Not many people come in here, so it’s usually pretty quiet for when I want to read or even just think.”

Spock studied him for a moment, gaze unwavering, before glancing at some of the books on the shelf nearest to him. “What do you think about?” He asked.

“The stars,” Jim answered immediately. “Worlds far from here.”

“Fascinating.” Spock nodded. “It is a thought I have also reflected on.”

“Well, great minds think alike!” he laughed. Spock raised an eyebrow, eyes showing some amusement. Finally, Jim was getting some of his confidence back. It was about time. “I’m really glad that you and your family were able to visit. I really wanted to meet you.”

“I, too, wished to meet with you. As I said previously, it would be more beneficial to become better acquainted if we are to fulfill our planets contractual obligations to one another.”

Jim felt taken aback, like Spock had just outright slapped him. _Contractual obligations?_ Did Spock forget that this would be beneficial to them too? Since they were soul mates and everything? Or was Spock just forgetting that part?

“Well, yeah… But we’re soul mates aren’t we?” Jim asked cautiously. Spock seemed to stiffen somewhat, before glancing away.

“I suppose you could say that.” Spock answered not looking at Jim. This only seemed to upset the blonde prince even more.

“Wouldn’t you say that, Spock?”

The Vulcan boy looked back at him and just stared. Didn’t say a word, just stared. Jim felt his heart cracking, chest constricting and making it extremely hard to breathe.

“Just because we were fortunate enough to be compatible with one another, does not mean that it makes our arranged marriage less of an obligation.” Jim narrowed his eyes at Spock.

“Well, you can’t blame a guy for wanting a happily ever after,” he huffed back.

“This is not a fairytale story, Jim.”

Jim was pretty sure the tearing sound he heard was his heart being torn to pieces. This was not what he had planned. Spock and him were supposed to be like two inseparable lovers in the books he had always read, but it sounded like that was not something that Spock wanted. The older was completely reluctant to see this as anything more than a business deal. Was that really all he was to Spock?

Swallowing up all the things he wanted to say to Spock in that moment, he looked the Vulcan in the eye and muttered a quick, “Fine,” before escaping the library and heading to his room as quickly as he possibly could. His vision was already swimming even as he tried to hold back the tears. When he finally got back to his and Sam’s room, he was relieved to see that his older brother wasn’t there.

Slamming the door shut behind him, Jim leaned back against the door and slid to the floor, pulling his knees up to hug them to his chest. Only then, did he finally let the tears fall.

After about twenty minutes, he was all cried out, with nothing left but a broken heart and two tear stained cheeks.

“It’s not a fairytale, Jimmy,” he whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to get the next chapter up by next Saturday! Leave kudos and comments! :)


	3. Okay, Sherlock

“Can you believe that, Bones?” Jim raged, pacing back and forth. “A _contractual obligation_. Us getting married is basically a freaking business deal to him!”  
  
It had been two days since Jim and Spock’s enlightening conversation in the library and Jim had done his best to avoid Spock at all costs, spending most of his time in his room and the medical ward. The only time he really had to see Spock was during meals, but even then he’d kept their interactions to a minimum.  
  
Currently, he was bothering Bones while the crabby man was working. All his emotions had finally built up and were spilling over the edge. He needed to get it all out, so that was exactly what he was going to do.  
  
“Jim, I know that you’re upset and all, but I’m kinda busy kiddo,” Bones grumbled as he looked over one of his patient’s vitals. Jim let out a loud groan and slumped down in a chair that was against the wall near the door.  
  
“I just thought it would be different, ya know?” The blonde mumbled softly. “He seemed like he actually cared about me through our messages.”  
  
Bones let out a sigh and set his PADD on the counter before squatting to look Jim in the eye. Jim glanced up when the brunet placed a hand on Jim’s knee, giving him a soft look.  
  
“Jim, it sucks. It really does, but it’s going to be alright,” Bones assured him.  
  
Jim blinked, staring at him for a few moments before nodding slowly and sitting up in his seat. Giving the blonde a brief smile, McCoy patted Jim’s knee and stood up, returning to his work, leaving the younger to his thoughts. He still didn’t feel any better after ranting, which frustrated him greatly. Looking at the clock, he saw it was almost time for dinner, so he stood and waved goodbye to his friend before heading out, feeling the same way he felt when he first came in.  
  
                                                                                                            …  
Jim had made a habit of trying to arrive at the very last minute in order to not get caught in a situation where he’d have to interact with Spock. He preferred to have others present if he had to be in the same room as the pointy-eared snob. That’s why the sound of footsteps coming from behind him caused him to freeze up.  
  
Turning around he spotted Spock coming down the hallway, face in its usual stoic expression. Biting his lip, Jim turned and continued to make his way down the hallway at a quicker pace. The footsteps behind him seemed to speed up as well until Spock was walking by his side.  
  
“Jim.”  
  
The blonde just continued walking, blatantly ignoring the other Prince as he got closer and closer to his destination. His efforts were halted though when a hand wrapped around his right bicep, yanking him back a couple inches.  
  
“Hey!”  
  
“Cease this childishness,” Spock hissed. “You have purposely been avoiding my presence for two days, five hours, and seven minutes.” Jim’s jaw dropped in shock before quickly recovering, feeling his previous anger boil over. Who exactly did Spock think he was?  
  
“Excuse me,” Jim seethed attempting to yank his arm out of Spock’s tight grip. “But I’m not obligated to talk to you of I don’t want to. So back off.” Spock did not release him though, his eyes studying Jim carefully, quirking an eyebrow upward.  
  
“You are upset with me,” he stated, eyes narrowing.  
  
“Did you go to detective school to figure that out, Sherlock?” Jim said, rolling his eyes in response. Spock blinked a couple of times, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.  
  
“My name is not Sherlock.”  
  
“Oh, my god. Spock it was an expression!” Jim groaned with irritation.  
  
“I see.”  
  
“Great, now let go of my arm or we’re going to be late for dinner.”  
  
“Not until you have told me what I have done to upset you.”  
  
“I think it should be pretty obvious,” Jim huffed. “Now, let go.”  
  
Spock eyebrow rose again before nodding and releasing Jim. “You are upset about what my word choice in the library.”  
  
“No, really? How’d you guess?” Jim quipped, turning and continuing down the hallway, Spock following after him.  
  
“I was merely stating a fact, Jim.”  
  
“Yeah, whatever.” Jim said as he pushed the dining room doors open and hurried to his seat between Sam and Chris, ignoring the watchful stares of the other occupants in the room. Spock made his way to his seat as well, and the room remained silent as the servants brought in their meal.  
  
He was pretty sure his mother had already noticed that something had happened between him and Spock, but she hadn’t made any point in asking what it was about or scolded him for being rude to their guest.  
  
During their dinner, as the adults talked, Jim would look up every so often to see Spock staring at him from across the table, dark brown eyes making him want to melt until he could manage to pull away from Spock’s intense gaze.  
  
Once the meal had finished, Jim quickly excused himself and hurried back to his bedroom, resigning himself to another lonely evening with only his thoughts for company.  
  
                                                                                                                …  
It was currently past ten o’clock, and Jim still couldn’t calm his thoughts enough to allow him to rest. All he could really think about was Spock, which only tugged on his heart more. Beside him, Sam was already under the covers fast asleep, filling up the room with his loud and obnoxious snores. Not being able to lay there any longer, Jim got up and grabbed his robe, wrapping it tightly around himself and heading out the door.  
  
Maybe a good read will help me relax.  
  
                                                                                                                  …  
In the library, Jim found a snug spot between some of the shelves after picking out a book and curling up with it. Once he was comfortable, he reached into his robe pocket and pulled out his flashlight, shining it on the pages.  
  
After some time went by, his vision began to blur until he couldn’t read anymore. With a yawn, he marked his page by folding the top half corner and closed it. He had no clue how long he had been reading. When he finally looked up his eyes felt droopy as he peered into the darkness that surrounded him.  
  
_Thump, thump, thump._  
  
Jim stiffened at the noise, the hair on the back of his neck standing straight up as he shined his flashlight at the opening between the shelves. Standing up, he slowly crept his way down the rows of books, clutching his book close to his chest. He was definitely not scared.  
  
“Hello?” he whispered. There was no response.  
  
Making it to the end, Jim shined his light to his right and spotted nothing. Hearing rustling from his other side, he quickly swung his light towards the noise and would have screamed had a hand not moved to cover his mouth. At the same moment another hand came up to grasp his neck, keeping him in place.  
  
Standing in front of him, illuminated by the light of Jim’s flashlight, stood Spock. An eyebrow raised, eyes shining with concern.  
  
“I did not mean to startle you.”  
  
Reaching up to push Spock’s hand away, Jim fixed him with an annoyed stare. Eyes apologetic, Spock stepped away, giving the blonde his space back. They remained silent for a few seconds before Jim spoke up.  
  
“What are you even doing here?”  
  
“Vulcan’s do not need as much sleep as humans do. I finished with my meditation for the evening and thought I would come and read.” Spock explained. “Why are you awake, Jim?”  
  
Jim shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep.”  
  
“Ah,” was Spock’s only response.  
  
“Yeah…”  
  
“That was also my reason for coming here.”  
  
“What?” Jim said, confused.  
  
“I sensed your discomfort and wanted to check on your wellbeing.”  
  
“Wait… You sensed?”  
  
“…Yes.” Spock answered. “We share a preliminary bond that was established on the day of our first meeting seven years, five months, and three days ago. It allows me to have a connection to you.”  
  
Jim gaped. “Oh… Well then.”  
  
“May I ask what book you were reading,” Spock asked, gesturing to the book Jim clutched to his chest.  
  
“Oh, it’s called The Valley of Fear,” he said. “It’s the fourth book in the Sherlock Holmes Series written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the early twentieth century.”  
  
Spock’s eyes filled with confusion. “Sherlock… You called me Sherlock earlier this evening.”  
  
“Yeah, I did. It’s an old Earth expression.” Jim laughed. “Sherlock is a detective, so it’s a sarcastic remark on your investigative skills on pointing out the obvious.”  
  
“Ah, I see,” the Vulcan Prince responded, looking amused. “Are you done reading?”  
  
“Sadly. I got to at least the second part of the book, but my eyesight was beginning to blur a little. So, I decided to put it down.”  
  
Spock stared at him a moment before holding his hand out, gesturing for Jim to hand him the book, which the blonde did. The older leafed through the pages of the old book before finding the page Jim had marked.  
  
Spock then looked up at him. “I could read you the rest if you would like.”  
  
“Oh, you don’t have to do that, Spock.” Jim tried to assure him.  
  
Spock eyebrows rose slightly. “Jim, I would not have offered if I was unwilling to do so.”  
  
Pausing for a moment, Jim eyed Spock thoughtfully as he thought it over. _He just offered to read to me and spend time with me! Why wouldn’t I want that?_ Jim asked himself. _Maybe, because you don’t want to get your hopes up again?_ A tiny voice reminded him. Jim decided to take the risk.  
  
He nodded to Spock in acceptance and they both head to where Jim had seated himself before, leaning their backs up against the wall.  
Opening up the book to the folded page, Spock began to read, his voice soft and gentle, lulling Jim into a calm state.  
  
“ _It was the fourth of February in the year 1875. It had been a severe winter, and the snow lay deep in the gorges of the Gilmerton Mountains…_ ”  
  
                                                                                                            ...  
Jim blinked his bleary eyes open, realizing that he was still in the library. _Spock and I must have fallen asleep last night._ He thought. He didn’t know what it was, but his head was currently lying against something very soft, yet sturdy.

Sitting up, he looked to see Spock asleep, and that Jim had been using his shoulder as a pillow for most of the night. Jim smiled softly and went to stretch when he noticed his left hand captured in Spock’s right. They had been holding hands while they had been sleeping. It made Jim’s heart swell up with happiness. Until he remembered why he had been mad at Spock in the first place for these last couple of days and his heart dropped back down again.  
  
Staring at his and Spock intertwined hands; Jim realized that he still wanted to have Spock as a friend. If that was the only way Jim could get Spock, then he’d do it, and after glancing at Spock’s face, Jim knew that it would be worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Leave kudos and comments!


	4. The Apple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, sorry for not updating last Saturday! I was busy with my Mock Trial Competition and finals, so I didn't get anytime to write! Here is chapter four!

It had been two weeks since Jim had decided that he could accept just being Spock’s friend and so far it seemed to be going well. Since the night they had fallen asleep in the library, the two of them had become completely inseparable, reading together and going for walks in the garden and making conversation. It had been the two absolutely best weeks of Jim’s life and it made the rough beginning worth it.

Jim had found out a lot about Spock through their conversations. For one, Spock had shared with him that when he had turned seven, he had received from his father a small Selhat, a bear-like creature with saber tooth fangs, as Spock had explained it, named I-Chaya. Spock had also spoken of his schooling to Jim, though somewhat vaguely. He had explained that he was in classes and lectures with the children of other senior nobles and ambassadors, which was very different from Jim’s schooling.

Usually, Jim only saw his tutors five days during the week, one for each subject. The only person he could consider a classmate was Sam and that was starting to change as Sam began to learn different subjects with his tutors. Soon Jim wouldn’t learn with his brother anymore.

"So… What do you want to bet that I can make it up to that top branch, and grab the apple?” Jim asked.

Spock didn’t even look up when he responded: “No, Jim.”

Today, the two boys were outside in the large gardens of Riverside Palace, enjoying the view surrounding them. All the plants were full of bright colors and the sky was filled with fluffy white clouds. Jim had been running about the gardens, full of uncontrollable energy and climbing on anything that seemed stable enough to hold his weight. At the very center of the garden, Spock was seated on the ledge of the giant water fountain with a book in hand.

The Vulcan had begun reading some of the Sherlock Holmes series every now and then since the night he had read to Jim. He had said that the plot and characters intrigued him, and went to retrieve the first book of the series the next day. This led to many moments together, surrounded by the many books. To Jim, it had become _their_ special place.

“But Spock-”

“No, Jim.”

“You don’t even know what I was gonna say!”

 Spock flipped to the next page of his book. “I do not need to. My answer still stands: _No_.”

Pouting, Jim looked back up to the shiny red apple hanging from the top branch of the tree. There were plenty of other apples within his reach, but he didn’t want those apples. He wanted _that_ apple, and when Jim wanted something, nothing could stop him.

Jim glanced over to Spock to make sure he wasn’t looking, before scrambling to grab the closest branch he could reach and pulled himself up. By the time he had made it to the second branch, Spock had already jumped up and rushed towards the tree.

“Jim!”

“Yep?” Jim glanced down at the Vulcan boy.

“I said not to climb the malus domestica!”

“It’s called an apple tree, Spock.” Jim continued to climb up after sticking his tongue out at the fairly irritated Vulcan. “And you’re not the boss of me!”

“I am the Crown Prince,” Spock countered.

“Which means…?” Jim trailed off, smirking.

“It means that I hold a higher ranking than you,” Spock said, eyes narrowing. “Come down. _Immediately_.”

Jim tried to look like he was honestly considering what Spock had said before shaking his head. “Nah, I’m good!” He called back, reaching for the next branch. Jim had come to realize that getting Spock worked up was pretty entertaining.

Finally making it to the branch that held the apple, the blonde reached up and yanked it off the branch. Holding up the fruit to inspect it, Jim took a moment to look down at his irritated fiancé, waving the apple at him.

“Spock, look how shiny this apple is!”

“Yes, I see that,” Spock huffed. “Please come down.”

“Fine, fine,” Jim sighed dramatically as he began to climb down. “You’re such a worrywart!”

That’s when he heard it, the cracking sound of the branch beneath his feet. He made to grab for a branch, but he wasn’t quick enough and before he knew it, Jim was tumbling to the ground below. He vaguely heard Spock yell something, but he didn’t make out what he the Vulcan had said. As he fell, Jim smacked his head on one of the branches, giving off a sickening smack that left his ears ringing. Closing his eyes, Jim waited for the pain.

But he never made contact with the ground. Instead he felt his body land into a pair of warm arms that curled around him tightly. He heard more yelling before opening his eyes and looking up into the brown eyes that always seemed to make him melt. Sometimes, there was so much emotion behind them.

“Your Highness!” Jim glanced up to see a guard standing over him and Spock who continued to hold Jim. “Are you alright?”

It took a moment for Jim to respond before nodding carefully. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he assured the guard.

“Fine has variable definitions,” Spock countered, earning a glare that didn’t seem to phase the older in the slightest.

“Perhaps you should go and visit the medical wing, Sir,” the guard suggested. “I can escort you there.”

“That will not be necessary,” Spock told the guard, his hold on Jim tightening. “I will escort Prince James.” The guard nodded, not arguing and hurried back to patrolling the grounds. Then it was just the two of them.

Jim shifted in Spock’s arms as the Vulcan fixed him with a sharp look and began walking back to the palace. “Spock, you can put me down now.”

“No.”

Jim struggled a little, but it did nothing against Spock’s iron grip. “Spock, come on! I can walk on my own.”

“You hit your head,” Spock snapped. “You could have a concussion.”

“I’m fine!”

“Fine has variable definitions,” Spock repeated. Jim smacked him harshly on the shoulder before pouting.

They continued through the palace halls in an uncomfortable silence, receiving weird looks from those they passed on the way to their destination. Jim felt his cheeks heat up slightly, thankful when they finally arrived to the medical wing.

“Okay, you can put me down now.”

“No.”

“Spock!”

“Jim?” Came a familiar gruff voice. Straining his neck to peer behind him, Jim saw Bones standing there, PADD in hand and looking extremely amused. “You okay there, Princess?” Jim’s cheeks turned a darker shade of red.

“Shut up, Bones,” he grumbled, crossing his arms and pouting.

Spock paused and looked to McCoy before muttering, “Bones,” under his breath, raising an eyebrow at the older man.

Bones just laughed. “So what brings you here today?”

Jim opened his mouth to answer, but Spock spoke first. “He was being reckless and climbed a malus domestica in the garden. When the branch he was standing on broke, he hit his head on another branch during his fall.”

“Dammit, Jim!”

“Doctor, language.”

Jim stifled a laugh as he watched Bones gape at the young Vulcan, glancing over to Jim and then back to Spock.

“Did you just tell me to watch my language?”

“Affirmative.” Bones just stared at him for a moment before grunting and waving for them to follow him to the nearest bio bed. Spock approached the bed and gently sat Jim down on it and then moved out of McCoy’s way. Shining a light in his eyes, Bones grimaced.

“Did he ever lose consciousness?” McCoy asked Spock, who shook his head. “How do you feel kid?”

“Fine,” Jim answered before quickly turning to look at Spock. “Don’t you dare,” he warned, seeing Spock’s lips parting to make a response. The Vulcan shut his mouth and narrowed his eyes at Jim.

“Do you feel fuzzy or dazed?” Bones asked, checking Jim’s eyes and having him follow his finger. “Any headaches?”

“I have a small headache,” Jim nodded as Bones finished his examination.

“Yeah, it looks like you might have a minor concussion,” Bones said, typing into his PADD. “Just try and rest. Don’t strain yourself too much, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.” Jim glanced at Spock’s stony expression and winced slightly. The Vulcan certainly did not look pleased. Especially when Bones looks at him and feels free to share with Spock, Jim’s history of reckless injuries. _Gee, thanks Bones._

“Thank you for your assistance, Doctor McCoy. I shall endeavor to prevent such recklessness in the future.

“Good luck with that,” McCoy, snorts. “Now get out of my hair. I still have a lot of work to get done.”

Spock helps Jim down from the bio bed and they say their farewells as they leave, Bones giving Jim a weird look, before heading back to his work. Finally he is alone with Spock. Walking in silence starts to make Jim uncomfortable.

He tries to break the silence. “So… that’s Bones.”

“I am aware.”

“He’s pretty cool.” Jim gives a shrug. Spock halts in his stride, making Jim stop, and looks at the ground blankly. “Spock?”

“How close are you with the Doctor?” Spock asks, still looking towards the ground, Jim picking something up in the Vulcan’s voice that he couldn’t identify before.

“I mean, he’s like a brother, I guess. We’re friends.” Jim said clearing his throat. “Why?”

Spock looked up, eyes boring into Jim’s as he studied the blonde carefully. “I was just curious. That is all.”

“Ah,” Jim licked his lips. “Okie doke.”

Spock raises an eyebrow in amusement and Jim flashes him a big grin, before Spock’s eyes all of a sudden become very serious.

“And Jim?”

“Yeah, Spock?”

“Please do not take anymore unnecessary risks with your life anymore.” Then Spock continued down the hallway with Jim following close behind, his heart beating incredibly fast and cheeks flushed.

 

                                                                   …

 

A week later, Jim and Spock were back in the library, reading separate books and leaning against one another. Only three more days left and Spock would be leaving. It had been eating at Jim for the past few days and he was absolutely dreading how quickly time was going by. It was never enough.

He had brought up this up to Spock the other day, but the Vulcan had assured him that they would still remain in contact and that it was illogical to dread something that had been planned from the beginning.

“Yeah, you’re right,” he had said without argument, even though he knew in his heart that the communication they had would never be the same as it had been these last few weeks.

“Of course I am,” Spock answered, which made Jim roll his eyes. “Perhaps we can set up another time for us to visit one another.”

Jim blinked and then smiled. “You mean I could come visit you on Vulcan?”

His question was met with silence. Looking over to Spock, he saw the older fidgeting slightly, eyes not meeting Jim’s own. Jim’s expression fell at this wordless response. No, he could not.

“Perhaps,” Spock agreed quietly, going back to reading, and that’s where the conversation had come to an end.

 

                                                                                                                      …

 

The inevitable had finally arrived, and Jim was doing all he could to hold in all the emotions he was feeling. He truly wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet.

Standing with his family at the palace entrance, they all said their goodbyes to Spock’s family when their transport arrived to take them to their ship. Pulling Spock aside, Jim told him goodbye privately and that he would miss the Vulcan a lot.

“It will not be forever, Jim,” Spock assured the blonde. Jim nodded, biting his lip hard to hold back the lump in his throat.

Hesitantly, the Vulcan reached out two fingers, his index and middle finger, and instructed for Jim to do the same. When their fingers touched, the blonde felt a pleasant zap run through him from Spock as he stared at the other’s blank expression.

“Goodbye, Jim.” And with that, Spock walked to the hover car that his parents had gotten in and shut the door.

Jim watched as they drove off, past the front gates, and he remained there for some time, even after his family had all went back inside.

“Bye,” Jim whispered.


	5. Playing the Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three years later! Jim now is 13 and Spock is 16. Have a Happy Easter and enjoy! :)

_2246_

The atmosphere inside the library had been very still all morning, something that Jim took comfort in, easing his nerves. Servants had been bustling about the last few days in preparation for Spock and his family’s arrival. Just thinking about Spock made Jim scowl a bit. It had been three years since Jim had last seen Spock. Two years since they had last communicated with one another.

Their conversations had been the same as before until one day, Spock just stopped responding altogether. Jim had sent the Vulcan a few more messages over that period of time before finally deciding to take the hint that Spock didn’t want to talk to him. As much a he tried to deny it; Jim was hurt.

So, that was why he was currently hiding out in the Library, wishing to avoid the Vulcan’s arrival as long as he possibly could. What was he suppose to say to the guy that had been ignoring him for the last two years? Honestly, Jim was too angry to think about any of this.

His mother was probably pissed at him for skipping breakfast and for being distant the last few days. Jim had hardly left his room or the library the last three days, and he had already skipped dinner the previous night. Sighing, Jim tried to let go of his racing thoughts and focus on reading the book he had randomly picked off the shelf.

Then the large library doors slammed open, and there stood his mother, looking absolutely flustered and panting a little, like she had been running around. Her sharp eyes scanned the room before landing on where he laid on his stomach. Jim instantly found himself at the receiving end of her glowering gaze.

“ _James. Tiberius. Kirk._ ”

He stood up, clutching his book to him as he did so, and stared at her a moment before raising a questioning eyebrow. He already knew why she was upset, but she might as well get it out now so they can have this spat before the Vulcans and Amanda arrived.

“Yes, Mother dearest?” he said, trying his best to look absolutely innocent, which only succeeded in making her eyes narrow. Brushing back her gold locks, she stepped farther into the room and stopped when she was at least a foot away from Jim.

“You were _not_ at breakfast this morning, young man,” she scolded.

“I wasn’t hungry.”

“We didn’t know where you were! I have been running all around the palace looking for you.”

“Well, you found me,” Jim said, walking to place the book he had been reading back on the shelf. His mother then grabbed his wrist and yanked him till he was nose to nose with her.

“ _Do not_ be disrespectful, James. I am your mother and when I want you to be at breakfast, you _will_ be at breakfast. Is that understood?” Her voice was icy. Jim’s shoulders slumped and he nodded, muttering out an apology. “Good. Now, let’s- what are you wearing?”

Glancing down at himself, Jim saw the clothes he had put on this morning, ignoring the one his nurse had placed out for him that morning. He had decided on a more casual choice of wardrobe. One that didn’t make him feel so uncomfortable.

His mother stared at him a moment. “You’re wearing jeans and a t-shirt.”

Jim quickly bit his lip before anything sarcastic escaped from his mouth. The last thing he wanted to do was piss her off again. Instead, Jim decided to just stand there in silence while his mother stared at him. Then she rolled her eyes, turning around and walking out of the library, Jim in tow.

“You are _definitely_ your father’s son.”

Pouting, Jim allowed himself to be dragged through the halls until reaching his chamber. The one he no longer shared with Sam. Upon entering, the original clothing that was laid out was thrust into his arms. “Change.” Then his mother walked out of the room.

With a huff, Jim pulled off his t-shirt and jeans, changing into his dress pants and white shirt before pulling the tight, light blue jacket over it and buttoning it up. Once his black boots were on, he heard a knock at the door. “You can come in,” he sighed, looking into the nearby mirror. He hated dressing up.

His mother walked in and squealed a little when she saw him. “There is my little Prince!” She laughed, squeezing him in a tight hug. “Let’s fix that hair though.”

“Mooooom,” he whined as a comb magically appeared in her hand and she began to comb his hair into place, yanking it a little. “Ow!’

“Stop moving so much, Jimmy!”

“But it hurts!”

Jim watched her through the mirror as she rolled her eyes at him. “Maybe if you stop moving, it wouldn’t hurt as much. Now stay still.”

Once she finished fixing his hair, she made him turn so that she could have a look at him. Beaming brightly, his mother gave him two thumbs up, which he returned with the grumpiest face he could conjure.

Today was not going to be great.

 

* * *

 

 

When they arrived, Jim and his family had been waiting outside. Chris had stepped out of the hovercar first, stepping to the side as Sarek, Amanda, and Spock exited the vehicle. Spock had filled out in the last three years. He looked to be a four or five inches taller than Jim himself, and he wasn’t the lanky teenager Jim remembered.

After a few minutes, once their guests had been properly greeted, the adults began to exchange pleasantries with one another as they walked inside, asking about the journey and other boring things. Everyone else followed after them quietly. Jim looked over to Spock briefly before looking to the ground.

Spock had not even looked at Jim once since his arrival.

 

* * *

 

Later that evening, they had all sat down for dinner. Both his mother and Emperor Sarek took their seats at the opposite ends of the table, while he, Chris, and Amanda sat on one side, and Spock, Sam, and Sam’s girlfriend Aurelan, who was the daughter of the Bajorian Ambassador, sat on the other side. Sam and Aurelan had already been dating the past few months and it seemed pretty serious between the two.

The dinner conversation tonight seemed to focus on the present situation on the Klingons. For the last few months, several of Earth’s ships had been attacked and looted by the Klingons, leaving no one on board alive. His mother had been trying to make some kind of diplomatic approach with the Klingon Empire, but all attempts had failed, leaving any part of space dangerous to Earth’s trade ships.

“It is unfortunate that they will not discuss these issues with diplomacy,” Sarek said calmly.

“I think they want a war,” Sam spoke up. “They keep getting closer and closer to our part of space and their actions seem to suggest that they are looking for a fight.”

“If it comes to that, then we will be prepared,” was Spock’s confident response. “But it is not only the Klingons who are causing trouble. The Romulans have been quite troublesome in our part of space.”

“Indeed,” Sarek agreed with a nod.

Jim stopped listening after that, focusing on the salad, that he had not taken a bite of yet, sitting in front of him. That’s when he felt a tap on his knee and glanced up to see Amanda staring at him with warm brown eyes, Spock’s brown eyes.

She gave him a smile, before leaning over to him. “Are you alright, Jim? You have been awfully quiet this evening,” she asked.

He nodded. “I’m alright Ma’am. Just a little tired is all,” he assured her. She gives him a knowing look before nodding and pulling away, continuing to eat and listening to the others conversation.

Jim goes back to staring at his salad, only glancing up when he feels a pair of eyes burning into him. Across the table, Spock his looking at him, eyes completely blank of emotion. They gaze at one another for a few seconds before Spock goes back into the discussion. Jim can feel his cheeks heating up, and he turned his attention back to the salad and started to move it around with his fork.

 

* * *

 

Hours later, Jim was snuggled up in the armchair beside the lit fireplace, reading a book that he was barely paying attention to, skimming over the pages, lost in thought. But not too lost that he couldn’t hear the library door open and the footsteps padding against the carpeted floor.

Turning to glance over the armchair, Jim saw Spock at one of the shelves, scanning over the books before reaching out and pulling one off the shelf and leafing through it. Spock’s face was blank, though there was no emotion showing in his eyes, like when they were younger.

Slowly, Spock looked up from the book he was holding and his gaze turned its focus on Jim. Shutting the book, Spock began to walk over the armchair, eyebrow raised. Sitting back, Jim looked up once the Vulcan was towering over him, hands that held the book were behind his back, shoulders stiff.

“Hi,” the blonde whispered.

“Hello.” Spock returned, glancing down at the book in Jim’s hand. “Ernest Hemingway?”

“Uh, yeah.” Jim nodded, shutting the book, leaving his thumb as a placeholder. “I mostly enjoy nineteenth and twentieth century writers, just because of the style that they write in.”

“Fascinating.” Spock responded. “It’s curious that you are up at such a late hour, since you informed my mother at dinner that you were tired.”

Jim’s eyes narrowed. “Were you eavesdropping?”

Spock raised an eyebrow. “Vulcans have excellent hearing. It was not my intention to eavesdrop on you and my mother’s conversation.”

“Well, I’m not all that tired anymore,” Jim huffed, flipping his book back open, pretending to read.

“Very well, goodnight Jim.” Spock remained standing there for a few moments before he moved towards the exit.

“Spock, wait!” Jim called, causing the Vulcan to pause and turn back to the blonde. Jim hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Do you want to sit here with me?”

Spock stared at him blankly before shaking his head. “Negative, I must return to my studies. Thank you for the offer.” Spock then turned and continued to the exit.

“Okay,” Jim said softly. “Goodnight.”

Then he was alone again. Shoulders slumping, Jim was once again filled with disappointment. It was a feeling that he had gotten used to these last few years. Everyone seemed busy all the time. His mom and Chris were always dealing with some kind of attempt at diplomacy with the Klingons, while also meeting with other world leaders. Sam, who Jim almost never saw anymore, was now eighteen, which meant that he now held more responsibility. Sam was always surrounded by his advisers and when he wasn’t with them, he was with Aurelan, making kissy faces.

And Spock… Spock was busy playing the Crown Prince of Vulcan and pretending Jim didn’t exist. With that thought, Jim decided to stop thinking and continue reading.

 

* * *

 

“I don’t know why I’m surprised, ya know? He hasn’t talked to me in two years, so why would him visiting suddenly change all of that?” Jim complained. “They have been here two weeks and he spends most of his time in his room!”

“Kiddo, he’s a robot.” Bones grumbled typing into his PADD.

Leonard McCoy was now a permanent member of the palace medical staff. The southern man only needed two more years as a medical intern before he was considered qualified to work as an attending doctor.

“I just expected… I don’t know, that it would be like before.” Jim sighed, tapping his finger against the miniature skeleton figurine that sat on the desk area in the medical room. “Can’t he act like her cares?”

“First off, stop touching that,” McCoy said, slapping Jim’s hand away from the skeleton. “Second, he does care about you, he’s just being… Vulcan, I guess.”

Jim shook his head. “He doesn’t care about me, Bones.”

Rolling his eyes, McCoy looked up at the ceiling. “Angels and Lord have mercy,” he muttered. “He does care about you. First time I met him, after that reckless shit you pulled, I thought he was gonna bite my head clean off.”

Jim’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wait, what?”

“Yeah,” McCoy continued. “He was practically glaring at me the entire time I was looking you over!” Jim gaped and then remembered…

_“How close are you with the Doctor?” Spock asks, still looking towards the ground, Jim picking something up in the Vulcan’s voice that he couldn’t identify before._

_“I mean, he’s like a brother, I guess. We’re friends.” Jim said clearing his throat. “Why?”_

_Spock looked up, eyes boring into Jim’s as he studied the blonde carefully. “I was just curious. That is all.”_

Had Spock been… Jealous? Was that the weird hint of emotion Jim had heard in his tone? Jealousy? There was absolutely no way. Letting out a sigh, the blonde shook his head.

“Well, if Spock cared about me, he wouldn’t act like this. I’m not playing this game,” he said determinedly, before stomping out of the room. The brunet rolled his eyes and continued with his work.

 

* * *

 

Sitting in the garden, Jim was admiring some of the flowerbeds that lay off to the side, sitting down beside them as he did so. It was a beautiful day outside and he was glad to escape from the palace to get some fresh air.

“Jim?” Turning, Jim spotted Lady Amanda coming down the garden path giving him a warm smile. He smiled back as she came closer, looking down at the flowers in front of them.

“They are quite beautiful,” she said. “May I sit with you?”

He looked up and saw her gesturing to the spot beside him. After he gave her a quick nod, she sat herself down in the most a graceful manner Jim had ever seen. For a while, the two sat there admiring the flowers and the bright day until things became a relaxing quiet.

“So where is my son?” Amanda asked Jim, staring at the sky.

“Probably studying,” he mumbled.

“Ah,” she sighed. “Spock is very hard to understand at times. He is not always aware how to behave around humans.”

“But you’re human,” Jim countered.

“Yes, that’s true,” she agreed. “He doesn’t always know how to behave around me sometimes. I just ask that you do not think too badly of him.”

“I won’t,” he promised.

Amanda smiled and turned to look at him. “My son is very fond of you, Jim. It may not seem like it, but he is.” Her smile then went away and her face became as blank as Spock and Sarek’s expressions. “There are many who look down on him and his ability to lead because of his human heritage. Spock will make a great Emperor one day, but the pressure to prove it has been a tremendous burden.”

Jim frowned at this. “Spock is looked down on because he is half-human?” Amanda nodded and Jim felt himself become angry on Spock’s behalf. “That’s not fair though! Spock is going to be an excellent Emperor and he shouldn’t have to prove that to anyone!” Jim sputtered. This lead to a two minute long tirade on how stupid Vulcans were and how great Spock was, Jim forgetting why he was ever angry with the Vulcan in the first place. By the end of his speech, Amanda was looking at him, eyes shining.

She reached over and grabbed Jim’s hand in hers, squeezing it just a bit. “I am glad that my son has someone like you in his life.” She said softly before standing up. Giving a small wave, Amanda continued down the garden path, leaving Jim alone with his thoughts.

That’s when he decided he wasn’t giving up. He was going to do whatever it would take to get Spock to talk to him. Standing up, Jim ran after Amanda, hoping she could make some suggestions on activities Spock might enjoy.

 _I guess I’m back in the game._         


	6. Checkmate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! Also this chapter is a little short!

Standing in front of Spock’s bedroom door, Jim reached up to bang on it three times and waited for a response. Thankfully he didn’t have to wait very long as he watched the door slowly open. On the other side of the door stood Spock, shoulders stiff. They stared at one another in a tense silence for a few moments.

            Spock blinked. “Yes?”

            Taking a deep breath, Jim pointed his finger right in the Vulcan’s face. “You are going to teach me how to play chess,” he demanded, taking in Spock’s bewildered expression as he passed the older boy, entering the room without waiting for an invitation.

            As Jim made his way farther into the room, Spock seemed to shake out it and turned to face the blonde. _Here comes the eyebrow,_ Jim thought and watched as Spock’s eyebrow popped up questioningly. _Bingo._

“Jim, I am very busy with my studies. Perhaps we could play at a more convenient time,” Spock suggested.

            Jim shook his head. “Yes, I know. You’re ‘very busy,’ Spock,” he said, making air quotes when he said ‘very busy.’ Jim wasn’t going to let Spock get out of this one. “The whole point of you being here is so we can spend time together. You can study once you get back to Vulcan.”

            Pausing for a moment, Spock seemed to think it over before nodding and murmuring a barely audible, “logical,” before walking over to his closet and pulling out a chessboard, setting it on the nearby table.

            “I’ve never played chess before, so you’ll have to show me how,” Jim explained, sitting across from Spock as the older set up the pieces.

            “Very well,” Spock agreed.

            Spock walked Jim through the rules of the game, and the blonde caught on pretty quick. He had lost the first two games they played, but both had been long and tedious. They continued to play several more games until it was time to go to dinner, Spock winning them all with Jim coming close each time.

            “I’ll beat you at some point,” Jim promised after Spock had called ‘check.’

            “We shall see,” the Vulcan countered, and the two began cleaning up the chess pieces.

            “I had a lot of fun, Spock.” Jim bit his lip, eyes focused on cleaning.

            “As did I, Jim,” he heard Spock say. Jim felt a small smile spread across his face.

 

                                               

* * *

 

 

            A few days later, Jim was walking back to his room, to actually get a night of rest for once. When he turned down his hallway, he immediately paused after spotting Spock standing outside his bedroom door. Grinning, Jim began to walk closer and noticed that the Vulcan was holding something under his arm. It was the chessboard they had been playing on.

            Finally making it in front of Spock, Jim beamed. “Hi, there stranger!” He laughed before hurrying to tell Spock that it was just a saying, and that yes, he knew Spock was not a stranger. “So what’s up?”

            With his puzzled expression gone, Spock straightens up a little as he responds. “I was wondering if you would be interested in a game of chess this evening.”

            Jim feels his heart swell a bit and he gave Spock a soft smile. “Of course I would.” They made their way inside Jim’s room and began setting up the board.

 

                                                

* * *

 

 

            As they begin to play, Jim tries starting a conversation. “So how have you been?”

            “I am well,” Spock answers, eyes focused on the board. It silent for a few minutes after that until Jim makes another attempt.

            “How’s life on Vulcan?” Spock hesitates, looking up at Jim for a brief moment before glancing back down at the game.

            “It is adequate,” he responds.

            “That bad, huh?” Jim laughed. Spock didn’t respond right away, so Jim kept talking. “Maybe for our next visit I can come to Vulcan.”

            Spock didn’t look up as he answered. “Perhaps.”

            Jim frowned at the Vulcan vague answer. _Home seems to be a tough subject… Just like what Lady Amanda said._ The blonde let the silence continue after that, watching Spock’s face the entire time. Sometimes he wished that the older were easier to read in moments like this. _Come on, Spock. Talk to me, please?_

Spock pauses as he makes another move and then looks up at Jim. “I sometimes feel like an outsider in my home, Jim.”

            Jim’s eyes widen. “What?”

            “I am looked down on by many because I am half-human.” Spock continues. “That I am weak because my mother is human. I have worked very hard to prove them otherwise, Jim.”

            “Spock…” Jim said softly. “That’s awful.”

            Spock nods in agreement as he looks back down at his hands. “That is why I am hesitant to have you visit, Jim. I do not want you to receive the same treatment that I have.”

            Jim’s heart began to beat quickly as he watched Spock, giving him a gentle smile. “I’d have you, Spock. I would be fine.”

            Spock’s eyes dart nervously as he reaches to move another piece. Jim opens his mouth to continue their conversation when Spock suddenly says, “checkmate,” and stands up from his seat.

            Glancing down, Jim sees that Spock has won again and laughs. “You beat me. Again.”

            “Indeed,” the Vulcan says as he begins to clean up the pieces and pick up the board.

            “Wait… Don’t you wanna play another game?” Jim asked quickly, not wanting their time together to be already over.

            “Negative, Jim.” Spock heads for the door. “You should get some rest. I will see you tomorrow.”

            Jim’s shoulders slumped. “Oh, okay… Goodnight.”

            “Goodnight, Jim.”

            Then the door shut and Jim was alone. At least he had made a little progress with getting Spock to open up. Sighing, Jim got ready for bed and got comfortable under his covers.

            “Lights off,” he called and it was dark.

 

                       

* * *

 

 

            As she walked through the halls, Amanda noticed her son walk towards her, his chessboard in his hands. They both stopped when they were foot apart and Amanda gave her son a knowing smile.

            “Did you enjoy your game with Jim?” She asked.

            “Indeed,” he nodded. “Goodnight, Mother.”

            “Goodnight, my son.”

            Spock passes her quickly and she watches him go with a bright grin. Shaking her head, Amanda continued down the hall thinking only of happy thoughts.

                       

**Author's Note:**

> I love comments and kudos! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon! :)


End file.
